Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (also ghinzo, ginso, ginzola) a derog. term for an Italian person or their language; also adj. use.

1934		B. Appel Brain Guy (1937) 3: The men were slim ginzos [...] Wops weren’t up his alley. [Ibid.] 192: Some lousy ginzo speak.
1943		I. Wolfert Tucker’s People (1944) 185: Looka! [...] looka what that greasy ginzo is doing!
1947		(con. 1944) J.H. Burns Gallery (1948) 9: I suppose you’ve got a fidanzato? A little Ginso who’s a P/W in Africa? [Ibid.] 243: I’d hate to tell you what I thought of you Ginso women.
1950		Goldin et al. DAUL 81/1: Ginney. An Italian [...] Ginzola. (also Ginzo). A ginney .
1952		Lait & Mortimer USA Confidential 194: The big mob from Chicago and New York does not operate here. Texans say, ‘We are too tough for the Ginzos’.
1955		B. Appel Tough Guy [ebook] It was a ginzo party. In Zelucci’s house.
1965		(con. 1930) E.M. Nathanson Dirty Dozen (2002) 356: Jewboy! Ginzo! Polack! Heinie!
1973		B. Hirschfeld Generation of Victors 255: Anything those other ginzos can hand out, I can take care of.
1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 33: All you ginsos is comin’ to Miami and Tampa.
1977		J. Sayles Union Dues (1978) 244: One of the old-time ghinzos.
1996		H. Roth From Bondage 246: What the hell is a white man doin’ on a ginzo job like that? [Ibid.] 277: You ginzos are always talkin’ to yourselves.
2000		G.V. Higgins At End of Day (2001) 89: Give a piece of steady business to those Ginzo bastards.

2. a thug working for the US Mafia.

1974		G.V. Higgins Cogan’s Trade (1975) 32: Everybody’s gonna have at least eight hot ginzos out looking for me.
2002		C. Stella Jimmy Bench-Press 31: Some ginzo wannabe around the crew I’m supposed to be familiarizing myself with.
2013		T. Piccirilli Last Whisper in the Dark 197: ‘He’s not a ginzo, but he was a trusted confidant of Big Dan back in the old days’.

3. any worthless or unpleasant person.

1937		T. Thursday ‘Little Boy Blooey’ in Ten Story Sports July 🌐 A ginzo named One-Eye Mahoney [...] who had been fired for asking for his back pay.
1945		J. Archibald ‘Smoke Scream’ in 10-Story Detective Feb. 🌐 A ginzo named Frankie Killigger was murdered not so long ago.
1956		T. Thursday ‘The Big Squawk’ in Smashing Detective Mag. 15 Apr. 🌐 A swell ginzo, if you ask me; his idea of a tip was another guest’s idea of a week’s rent.

4. a person, with no derog. overtones.

1945		R.L. Bellem ‘Dead Don’t Dream’ in Hollywood Detective July 🌐 Instead, a grinning ginzo hailed me from a passing underslung Mercedes speedster [...] the party at the wheel [...] was Johnny Cook, writer of several transcontinental network shows.
1946		R.L. Bellem ‘Homicide Surprise’ in Speed Detective Feb. 🌐 He was a tall, skinny ginzo with freckles and a sour disposition.